Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Kemaman

For one person, living costs are similar in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and in Kemaman: $859 and $877 a month, rent and utilities included.

42

Cost of Living Index in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Kemaman
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Kemaman Living Index

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Kemaman

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$877

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and in Kemaman

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and in Kemaman actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $877 in Kemaman.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859
Kemaman $877

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,352 in Kemaman.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395
Kemaman $1,352

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,827 in Kemaman.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931
Kemaman $1,827

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) costs roughly 2% less than in Kemaman, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower, Kemaman 35% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 ₫49.6K

$2.62 MYR 10.70

-27.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.84 ₫591.2K

$14.65 MYR 59.8

55.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.54 ₫117.6K

$4.38 MYR 17.89

3.65%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫48.0K

$3.01 MYR 12.29

-38.54%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$0.51 MYR 2.08

9.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,185

$0.35 MYR 1.44

-8.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.06 ₫27.5K

$3.21 MYR 13.10

-66.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₫44.5K

$5.79 MYR 23.61

-70.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₫42.9K

$1.89 MYR 7.70

-12.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₫28.7K

$1.01 MYR 4.14

9.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ₫25.9K

$0.96 MYR 3.92

4.17%

Eggs

$1.67 ₫43.1K

$1.14 MYR 4.64

46.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 ₫312.8K

$9.82 MYR 40.04

23.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 ₫95.2K

$3.28 MYR 13.39

12.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.24 ₫265.1K

$9.63 MYR 39.27

6.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 ₫76.5K

$3.53 MYR 14.41

-16.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 ₫32.2K

$1.88 MYR 7.66

-34.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 ₫40.3K

$2.66 MYR 10.86

-41.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ₫33.6K

$1.73 MYR 7.05

-24.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 ₫31.9K

$2.15 MYR 8.78

-42.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.8K

$2.02 MYR 8.23

-43.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ₫19.1K

$1.43 MYR 5.82

-48.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$0.48 MYR 1.95

16.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.24 ₫32.1K

$4.66 MYR 18.99

-73.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 ₫326.1K

$19.79 MYR 80.8

-36.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$2.72 MYR 11.08

-64.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ₫39.6K

$4.61 MYR 18.79

-66.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,694

$0.73 MYR 2.98

-64.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.51 ₫297.9K

$12.09 MYR 49.32

-4.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ₫19.5K

$1.23 MYR 5.02

-39.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 ₫17.4K

$0.38 MYR 1.56

76.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ₫78.5K

$8.88 MYR 36.22

-65.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 ₫24.8K

$0.52 MYR 2.14

84.62%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$31.1K ₫804.3M

$42.1K MYR 171.6K

-26.16%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$30.4K ₫785.9M

$32.9K MYR 134.4K

-7.87%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$102 ₫2.6M

$48.98 MYR 200

108.21%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$5.89 ₫152.5K

$8.30 MYR 33.87

-29.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.49 ₫271.6K

$27.03 MYR 110

-61.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.54 ₫661.2K

$41.79 MYR 170

-38.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.92 ₫308.5K

$7.05 MYR 28.75

69.08%

Cinema Ticket

$3.53 ₫91.3K

$4.87 MYR 19.88

-27.52%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$436 ₫11.3M

$124 MYR 507

251.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫602.8M

$10.4K MYR 42.5K

123.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 ₫1.4M

$51.5 MYR 210

2.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.15 ₫884.1K

$30.07 MYR 123

13.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 ₫2.3M

$76.7 MYR 313

17.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.0 ₫2.5M

$85.5 MYR 349

11.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 ₫15.3M

$450 MYR 1,837

30.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ₫7.7M

$267 MYR 1,090

11.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 ₫33.5M

$772 MYR 3,148

67.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$711 ₫18.4M

$532 MYR 2,169

33.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,676 ₫121.1M

$1,748 MYR 7,129

167.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,904 ₫49.3M

$1,220 MYR 4,978

56.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

4.51

91.57%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): October 10, 2026

Last update for Kemaman: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$298 34.7%

Kemaman

$267 30.5% 10.3% $31

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1%

Kemaman

$245 27.9% 18.1% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3%

Kemaman

$110 12.5% 10.5% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8%

Kemaman

$84 9.6% 28.8% $34

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4%

Kemaman

$101 11.6% 59.7% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

Kemaman

$52 5.9% 58.1% $19

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9%

Kemaman

$18 2.1% 9.1% $1.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $450 in Kemaman. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $15.00 in Kemaman. Groceries flip the comparison at $207 vs $245, with Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇲🇾 Kemaman

🕒 Local time

11:14 11:14 AM

12:14 12:14 PM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

215,582

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, USD, EUR to VND – Vietnamese Dong Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇻🇳 Vietnamese Dong (₫)

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 25,889 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,105 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Kemaman 810 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Kemaman

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs Kemaman: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) wins on cost – living expenses run 2% lower than in Kemaman. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,288 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $1,315 in Kemaman to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $450 in Kemaman. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $859 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $877 in Kemaman – a 2% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) runs roughly 5% less than in Kemaman. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $877 in Kemaman, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) but tight or insufficient in Kemaman. The gap between the two cities makes Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $859 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Kemaman are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) gentler on the wallet – expenses run 2% less than in Kemaman. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.